Vehicle power transfer unit (PTU) with planetary gear set

Abstract

One implementation of a vehicle power transfer unit (PTU) assembly, such as thatfor an automobile, includes an input shaft, a planetary gear set, an intermediate shaft, a ring gear, and an output gear. The planetary gear set includes a sun gear, multiple planet gears, and an annular gear. The sun gear is attached to a housing of the vehicle PTU and does not rotate in use. The planet gears are interconnected to the input shaft and are driven by the input shaft. The annular gear is in turn driven by the planet gears. The intermediate shaft is interconnected to and driven by the annular gear. The ring gear is interconnected to the intermediate shaft, and the output gear is driven by the ring gear.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle power transfer units (PTUs), and more particularly to shaft and gear assemblies used in vehicle PTUs. Background technique [0002] Generally, a vehicle driveline transfers torque from a vehicle's engine to its wheels. Motor vehicle drivetrains sometimes include a power transfer unit (PTU, also known as a power transfer unit) for selectively distributing torque among shafts in the drivetrain. PTUs are often equipped in four-wheel and all-wheel vehicle drivetrain configurations. A power transfer unit usually consists of a housing that encloses and supports gears, shafts and bearings. As elsewhere in the car, packaging in the powertrain of a motor vehicle often requires fixed dimensional constraints. And at times, size constraints present challenges when designing a PTU to produce a desired torque output while still meeting durability requirements imposed by automotive manufacturers. Contents of th...

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Problems solved by technology

And sometimes, size constraints present challenges when designing a PTU to produce a desired torque output while still meeting durability requirements imposed by vehicle manufacturers

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